Cheam Ladies 4th XI

Report: OK...thank you's...Phil for being team co-ordinator, Lily for playing in goal and Lucy 3's for stepping down from the 3's to play for the more committed, fun team! :)

OK, yet again, our structure was there, our passing and fitness has hugely improved, our communication is top notch

BUT our marking fell to pot and the aggression and fight to win was severly lacking. We aren't going to win without either of these things!

I'd say possesion was pretty much 50/50, we just failed to shoot and they had a few lucky shots and managed to get passed Lily on a couple of 1 on 1's!

Sorry for the rather negative report but I just know we can do better- we've improved in every aspect of the game and it's just not not reflected in the score so come on girls let's get the rage on and kick some butt next week!

Report: Finally recovered from the friendly 2 weeks ago the fiery fours found themselves away to Surbiton.

We were quite excited to be on the nice water based pitch. Until the water cannons came on and the wind ensure everything in the dugout got completely soaked. Including Lilly and Emma's Mums! Mario did her best to shelter under a dust bin lid but with little success.

It seems that we've improved over the Christmas break! Our marking was good. Our breaks were good. We even called for the ball and passed to our own team. Everyone ran a lot (Staceys sprint sessions must be doing some good). We got shots at goal. We cleared at the back when we needed to. The oppo had some handy players....we got better at channelling them as the match progressed. However our forwards gave the oppo's defence a run for their money with their silky skills too. The subbing worked. It was a great team effort!

No need to mention the score is there? Anyone watching the match would have seen it was a good match, there wasn't much between the two teams. Just a couple of goals - but that doesn't matter does it.....?!

Thanks to Krish for providing guidance and help with the subs from the sidelines. Thanks to the Mums who came down and supported too.

This week Emily will be working on her assertiveness, decisveness and whistle blowing.

Next week should be another good match, I hope you're ready for a day out in the scenic Surrey countryside as we're miles away in Cranleigh. If we're driving all that way I want a goal....I'll score it myself if I have to (and teas were good last year too)!

Report: A couple of new faces to start the new year in the ladies 4th team.

I think to say and i am sure all would agree the better side won on this occasion.

The team started with plenty of enthusiasm, unfortunately due to an early goal our heads dropped for a while and spencer took full advantage.

Spencer's passing game was very strong and they dominated the first half, making our defence work incredibly hard.

Some top saves were made by Cheams Ladies keeper which we were grateful for but Spencer continued in the second half strong and determined.

I think all would agree we need to work hard on our passing game and make the shots count. A good effort by all. We know need to put this defeat behind us and start to look at our game collectively as a team to see how we can improve.

Onwards and upawards. Note for future it is best to get a train to battersea park as the carpark is extortionate!!!!

Report: This week saw 13 cheetahs head over to St Bede’s school in Reigate, only those under the age of 18 being completely free of alcoholic fumes. On arrival, we discovered half the pitch was frozen, but following discussion with the opposition it was decided to play anyway. Sage turned up in her usual late fashion (only 45 minutes this week) with a treat for us in the form of Amato junior.

Warm up started, I soon discovered the disadvantages of a slippery pitch and forgetting your Astros, mixed with the strangest pitch surface any of us had ever been on, with one of the best dives of the season in front of the goal. Following discussions with the umpires about the line of shadow now being the sideline, but not the line, a bit further in (I am still not entirely sure what counted as off!) the game got underway.

Cheam were determined from the start, which was excellent as I didn’t see much of the ball, with our forwards disappearing off to the other end of the pitch. Not long in to the first half; Beckie smashed the ball towards the goal, which went about a foot over the line before being hoofed back out by the keeper. Cue celebration, before utter confusion as the game continued, the goal not being awarded.

The half time whistle went with the scoreboard still blank, and following quick discussions over a swig of water, the team headed back out full of determination. Unfortunately, at this point I believe hangovers started to kick in, Sage decided to goal hang (at the wrong end of the pitch) and despite some excellent work from our youths Lilly and Lucy, mixed with the sheer determination and best efforts of the rest of the squad, the opposition snuck a sneaky one round Emma to bring the score to 1-0.

Despite the best efforts of the team, Reigate managed another cheeky one before the final whistle, leaving the score sheet at 2-0. Massive congratulations to the team, we are really starting to play well together, and actually play like a team. I am so proud to be part of CHC ladies 4s!

Highlight of the week: Beckie’s excited squeaky voice when she spotted an albino squirrel on the way home (yes, they do exist!) And the CHC Christmas dinner, what a night!

Report: The fabulous fours were playing at the fortress and were in high spirits after our improvment last week and in the knowledge that we'd beaten this team before. Though we didn't recognise many of their players from our first encounter. The first 10mins were a bit of blur....well the oppo forwards were a bit of a blur. A goal and a short corner and we were 2-0 down. That was the kick up the bum we needed to wake up. We deserve a win and we were willing to fight for it!

And what a transformation, in a good way, like a caterpillar into a butterfly. We spread our wings - quite literally as we worked the ball up the wings of the pitch: with great runs up the left by Bridget and some great work by the right by Noush, Kate and Maz. With Sej staying high looking for the ball and ultimately the goal.

Though the oppo were feisty; their attack quick. The mids, Nat and Georgia, ran down every ball they could but the oppo got a few more attacks in. Despite their tender years our defenders Lilly and Elly were not afraid to tackle, and despite their advanced years Maria and Sam proved they were not going to be outdone by the kids (with a particularly hacky save by Sam on the line). Playing sweeper I just shouted in the hope that the ball never came back that far, and when it did come to me I just seem to kick it and give away short corners! Sorry! Luckily Emma always enjoys an opportunity to show off her skills with some nice clears.

It was getting frustrating for Cheam. We were making some great play, but that goal was still eluding us. We could smell blood we just needed to convert. Just 2 mins left and we get a short corner. We converted it in a controlled, sytlish way! Beckie pushed out to Maz at the top, a slip to Kate, faced with their running defender a clean square pass to Nat who sweeped it in. Goal!

Thanks to Krish and all others for their support from the side line.

A great team effort, and a massive improvement in how we're playing. Next week we're going to play like that from the very start of the match AND we're going to be absolutely merciless on goal. Next week it could be your name in lights...if you want that goal enough!

Report: So… Cheam Ladies 4’s vs Surbiton 1st men’s team under the disguise of Spencer Ladies 6’s.

Firstly, Cohen was in goal, which whilst I applaud her bravery, commitment to the team and craziness, meant we were already at a disadvantage with a lack of experience from the back!

Lily as always marked very well and when asked to play mid for the first time- stepped up without a word of complaint – true team player!

Kate and Becky made some brilliant wing runs, Nat played in all sorts of positions, which shows her flexibility as a player.

Bonnie went in for tackles like a Rottweiler whilst Mario as always cleared with force! Georgia supported everyone, providing part of nearly every triangle!

Welcome back to Fiona – who made it her business as sweeper to stand firmly when evil attackers felt the need to push and shove!

There was no yelling at umpires (well if you discount me as an outlier) which shows very delightful sportsmanship.

We tried a new formation, 4 in the mid, which gave us more breaks and strength behind these breaks than we’ve had previously, so thank you to Quayley for this pearl of wisdom and two subs rather than four worked much better than last week!

O and as a footnote, we lost 11-0 but let’s not dwell on the insignificant detail! Emma please come back!

Report: I would like to warn all readers that the following content may be factually incorrect – it appears I may be as loud as an elephant but do not have the memory of one!

So – Addiscombe – in short they honestly weren’t that great and we know we can definitely beat them but somehow the score was 7-0 to them! They had two handy strikers with fantastic hand/eye co-ordination which got them some unstoppable deflections in the back of the net.

Girls of the Game - Georgia and Kate B! Georgia, as always, held the centre well, ran around like a nutter and stood up for herself against the larger ladies! Kate B was delightfully flexible in her positioning and provided sound support to the team throughout the game as well as giving some good runs down the wing!

Bonnie, a great new addition to the team, with clear experience! Emma – saw A LOT of the ball and worked her bottom off! Shelley (Moi) scored an epic own goal – beautiful deflection from the left post! Lilly – got on with job without a word and did it solidly! Little Alice was tasked with marking the main evil attacker – she will be known now as little braveheart! Big Alice (age related not size related) – well I just remember looking up dazed and she was always there to pass to!

With 4 subs and a team of relative newbies, things were always going to be difficult but we kept to our triangles and started developing a good press so there’s definitely something going forward.

Thank you to Cohen and Joddy on the sidelines and all our other keen supporters!

Well Done girls! Addiscombe this is war!

Report: Saturday saw Cheam Ladies 4s come up against what I imagine (and hope!) to be the strongest side in the league. Having managed to just about squeeze 11 players from the usually poor availability, none of us were overwhelmed at the fact the home side had three subs. From the second the game began, two things became apparent; we need to improve our levels of fitness, and we need to learn to communicate more.

The majority of the first half had our defence running around, with goalie Emma showing great form. A moment of madness had the opposition begin a short corner while we were by no means ready, and the striker decided to take a shot at the goal anyway, narrowly missing Lilly’s head, much to the anger of the entire Cheam defence. However, the umpire let them re-set the short corner, but the anger of the defence managed to keep the ball out of the goal.

The determination of defence managed to keep the score down to just 2-0 at half time, and a team talk from Sarah (thank you for coming and supporting us!) had us all head back on to the pitch determined to make the second half Cheam’s game.

Shortly after the start of the second half, Shelly Mills made an absolute screamer of a goal, lobbing the keeper. It is just a shame that Shel was in defence, and it was our keeper she lobbed! Throughout the game Cheam showed some great work, unfortunately the opposition were just too strong, and every time we made a break down the other end of the pitch, the ball came back at us as quickly as it had gone away.

I feel the need to mention just how well Emma played, as without some of her amazing saves the score would have been far more embarrassing. Thank you to Sarah, Qualie and Sage for all the support (and Sarah for cutting up oranges for us!) and Lois for being by far the best umpire at the game!

Report: Saturday afternoon saw 11 eager Cheam girls head over to what must be one of the furthest grounds in Surrey, if you are following Sage. For a 3 o'clock start, we arrived at the astro at 3.02, to find that the game before us was overrunning by approximately half an hour which lead to tactical discussions and short corner practise happening at the side of the pitch.

Eventually, the men’s game finished, and we ran on to discover that there is a significant difference between water and sand based pitches. Some great advice from Shelley at the beginning about how much the ball bounces aided us through the first 5 minutes of the game, until we got used to the different conditions. Cheam dominated the first half of the game, with about 70% possession. Maz and Sage scored a goal a piece, and we came off at half time in great spirits.

After a little changing of positions, we headed back out on to the pitch, ready for a continued good performance. Barnes clawed back a goal early on, but we refused to let it get us down, with great encouragement and chat flying around the pitch. Maz then disappeared up the other end of the pitch, before neatly slotting in her second goal round the keeper.

With 8 minutes to go, Cheam were still dominating, but Barnes managed to slot one in off a long corner. Some excellent stick work from Hannah managed to get the ball around the Barnes defence and back in to their end as the final whistle blew.

For a team that had never played together before, and a lot of new players to the club, this was an excellent effort and starts off what should hopefully be a promising season.